Definition

1. Noun:
   • The act of making something harder: The process or action of causing a material or substance to become firmer, tighter, or more compact.
   • The process of becoming hard or solid: A natural or induced process where a material changes from a soft or liquid state to a solid, firm state, often due to cooling, drying, or crystallization.
   • Abnormal hardening or thickening of tissue: A medical condition characterized by the pathological stiffening or thickening of bodily tissue.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The hardening of the clay in the kiln took several hours.
  • Engineers studied the hardening process of the new alloy.
  • Arteriosclerosis involves the hardening of the arteries.

Advanced Usage

• "Work hardening": In metallurgy, the increase in strength and hardness of a metal caused by plastic deformation.
  • Copper wire becomes stronger through work hardening.
• "Age hardening": A process where the strength of metals increases over time at room temperature or at a slightly elevated temperature.
  • The aluminum alloy undergoes age hardening to achieve its final properties.

Variants and Related Words

• Harden (verb): To make or become hard.
  • The epoxy resin will harden in five minutes.
• Hardener (noun): A substance added to another to promote hardening.
  • Mix the resin with the hardener before application.

Synonyms

• Solidification: The process of becoming solid.
• Stiffening: The act of becoming rigid or less flexible.
• Curing: The process of hardening a material through chemical reaction, often used for plastics, concrete, or adhesives.

Related Phrases

• Case hardening: A process for hardening the surface of a metal object while leaving the interior softer.
  • Gears are often treated by case hardening.
• Precipitation hardening: A heat treatment technique used to increase the yield strength of malleable materials.
  • Some stainless steels are strengthened by precipitation hardening.

Related Idioms

Noun

1. the act of making something harder (firmer or tighter or more compact)
2. the process of becoming hard or solid by cooling or drying or crystallization
   • the hardening of concrete
   • he tested the set of the glue
3. abnormal hardening or thickening of tissue